Notes

Articles & practice news

Plain-language writing on orthobiologics, shoulder surgery, rehabilitation and what is happening in the practice.

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Patient educationOctober 25, 2026

Prolotherapy: the original regenerative injection, explained

Long before PRP became a household term, prolotherapy was using the body's own healing response to strengthen painful ligaments and tendons. Here's how it works and when I consider it.

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Patient educationOctober 16, 2026

The Four Conditions I Treat Most Often with Orthobiologics

Rotator cuff pain, knee arthritis, tennis elbow, and hip pain — what is actually going on in each, and how I decide between PRP, BMAC, shockwave, and surgery.

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Treatment updatesOctober 11, 2026

Peptides in sports medicine: promise, evidence, and caution

Peptides like BPC-157 are everywhere in fitness culture. Here is what they are, what the evidence actually shows, and the regulatory reality.

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Patient educationOctober 11, 2026

How to Choose an Orthopaedic Surgeon in Charleston

A practical guide to evaluating orthopaedic surgeons in the Charleston area — training, specialization, access, and the questions worth asking before you decide.

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Patient educationOctober 9, 2026

How Many PRP Treatments Are Needed?

Most knees and tendons respond to a single well-done PRP injection, but some conditions call for a short series. Here is how I think about the number, the timing, and how we judge whether it worked.

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Patient educationOctober 4, 2026

Your treatment options, from home exercises to injections

A straight talking walk through the non-surgical options I discuss with patients: therapy, activity modification, medications, injections, viscosupplementation, prolotherapy, orthobiologics and when alternative treatments fit.

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Patient educationOctober 2, 2026

Is PRP Good for Knee Pain?

Platelet-rich plasma uses a concentrated sample of your own blood to support healing in an irritated knee. Here is what the evidence says, who it tends to help, and when something else makes more sense.

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Patient educationSeptember 25, 2026

Tennis elbow that will not quit: why rest alone stops working

Rest, brace, repeat — if your elbow keeps coming back, here is what is actually happening in the tendon and what breaks the cycle.

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Patient educationSeptember 18, 2026

The labs I check before orthobiologic treatment: CRP, ESR, and fibrinogen

Tissue repair happens in the environment your whole body creates. A few simple blood tests tell us what that environment looks like.

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Patient educationSeptember 11, 2026

One tool in the toolbox: why who evaluates you matters

A surgeon who also practices biologics has no reason to steer you toward either. That independence is worth understanding.

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Patient educationSeptember 4, 2026

Medicine or a product: how to spot a stem-cell sales pitch

A simple filter for telling legitimate regenerative care from marketing with a syringe.

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Patient educationAugust 25, 2026

"It is just bursitis": when hip pain deserves a second look

A lot of hip pain gets labeled bursitis without much of a plan. Often the real story is in the tendon or the joint.

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Patient educationAugust 18, 2026

Ultrasound in the exam room: how a real diagnosis gets made

Symptoms tell me where to look. Ultrasound lets me actually see the tendon or joint before we decide anything.

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Patient educationAugust 11, 2026

PRP vs. BMAC vs. microfat: how I choose between them

Three orthobiologic tools, three different jobs. Here is how I decide which one fits a given tendon or joint.

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Patient educationAugust 4, 2026

Sleep: the most underrated recovery tool in medicine

Growth hormone peaks during deep sleep. Inflammatory regulation happens overnight. If you're healing from an injury — or investing in treatment — sleep is doing more of the work than you think.

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Patient educationJuly 25, 2026

Shoulder arthritis: the full treatment spectrum, from therapy to replacement

Shoulder arthritis isn't a single decision between living with it and replacing it. There's a whole spectrum of options — and most patients should climb it one step at a time.

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Patient educationJuly 18, 2026

Rotator cuff tears: when an injection makes sense and when surgery does

Not every rotator cuff tear needs surgery — but some do, and knowing the difference early saves time, money, and shoulder function.

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Patient educationJuly 11, 2026

Training for the long game: how to keep your body athletic for life

Muscle is not just for athletes — it is an organ of longevity. A framework for training that keeps you capable, resilient, and ready to heal.

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Patient educationJuly 4, 2026

Am I a good candidate for orthobiologic treatment?

Candidacy for PRP, BMAC, or microfat depends on more than your MRI — your overall health, mechanics, and the severity of the problem all matter.

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Patient educationJune 25, 2026

Recovery done right: what tissue healing actually looks like

Healing follows predictable phases — and rehab works best when it matches them. A guide to what happens after injury, surgery, or orthobiologic treatment.

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Patient educationJune 18, 2026

Eating to heal: how nutrition shapes recovery and joint health

Food is not just fuel — it is the raw material for repair and one of the strongest levers you control over inflammation and healing.

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Patient educationJune 11, 2026

Inflammation: the hidden driver behind joint pain, slow healing, and aging

Chronic low-grade inflammation quietly undermines recovery and joint health — and it is one of the most modifiable factors in musculoskeletal medicine.

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Patient educationJune 4, 2026

Knee pain: when to rest, when to rehab, and when to be seen

Most knee pain is not a surgical problem. How to think through new knee pain — and the options when it does not settle.

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Patient educationMay 25, 2026

PRP, BMAC, and microfat: how orthobiologic injections actually work

A plain-language guide to the three orthobiologic treatments we use most — what each one is, how it works, and when each makes sense.

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Patient educationMay 18, 2026

Fitness after 40: move better, get stronger, live longer

Forty is not a deadline — it is the point where smart training pays the highest returns. The five areas that matter most.

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Treatment updatesMay 11, 2026

“Stem cell therapy”: how to tell legitimate care from hype

The unregulated stem cell market is booming. Here is how to recognize the difference between evidence-based, FDA-aware treatment and marketing.

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Patient educationMay 4, 2026

Shockwave therapy: healing with sound waves, not surgery

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) uses focused acoustic energy to stimulate repair in stubborn tendon and soft-tissue problems — no injection, no incision.

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Ready to talk it through?

Education is a starting point. An exam with Dr. Woolf is how we find the right plan for you — starting with conservative care.